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The US government has set a new goal to reduce the cost of inhaling carbon dioxide from the air. On Friday, at the United Nations Climate Conference, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced her agency’s new “Earth Observation Program”, which aims to reduce the cost of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it safely to Less than US$100 per metric ton. 

The Earthshots program is an effort by the Department of Energy to help expand some emerging technologies that may need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make them cheaper. Today, we know how to use the sun, wind, water and latent heat under the ground to generate clean electricity. However, we do not yet have an economical way to fly airplanes, power large ships, manufacture key materials such as steel or cement, or grow food without releasing emissions that cause global warming into the atmosphere. 

Carbon Negative Shot is the third program in the Earthshots series. The Department of Energy announced a hydrogen bomb program in June that aims to make clean hydrogen fuel 80% cheaper than it is now. The agency also launched a long-term energy storage plan in July to reduce the cost of storing energy for the grid for at least 10 hours. (When renewable energy is not available, grid batteries will be required.)  

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, said at a press conference on Friday: "If we leave everything to the energy market, we won't bring these technologies to the market." "We need the government to press here. Press the innovation button." 

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Carbon dioxide removal will not directly reduce emissions in any particular industry, such as agriculture or aviation. However, if there are no other solutions to clean up flights or fertilizers, carbon removal can be deployed to offset continued emissions and stabilize the carbon content in the atmosphere. For example, this is why United Airlines invested in a direct air capture plant under development in Texas. Scientists say that in addition to balancing any remaining emissions that cannot be eliminated, carbon removal is the only way for the world to eventually reverse global warming, which is to absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than we put in. 

In order to understand which methods are most effective and how to deploy them sustainably, research must start now. The new carbon dioxide removal Earthshot will focus on all methods of removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it, including nature-based solutions such as trees and soil, and mineral-based methods, including crushing rocks so they can absorb carbon and direct air faster Capture, which refers to a new technology that absorbs carbon directly from the air and pumps it into the ground. 

In a panel discussion on the announcement of COP26, Jennifer Wilcox, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Department of Energy, pointed out that many nature-based solutions today cost less than $100 per metric ton. However, there are still some unresolved questions about the sustainability of carbon storage. She said that one of the agency's goals is to find methods for long-term monitoring and verification of storage to ensure that these methods really have a positive impact on the climate. 

"In the course of 100 years, how much does it cost to ensure that there is no farming on the soil so that carbon is not re-emitted to the atmosphere?" she asked. "How do we ensure that forests are managed to minimize the risk of fire? We don't really know how much nature-based solutions cost today."

The same is true for direct air capture systems. It remains to be seen whether the Texas plant that United Airlines is investing in will have a net benefit to the climate. It will be partly powered by natural gas, and some of the captured carbon will be sold to oil companies to help extract more oil from aging oil wells. Hundreds of environmental organizations in the United States oppose the idea of ​​direct air capture plants because they fear that polluting industries will use them as an excuse to prolong the burning of fossil fuels. 

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Other designs are also possible-Iceland's largest direct air capture machine currently exists. It runs on renewable energy and pumps carbon dioxide into the ground. Over time, it turns into stone. But today this process costs hundreds of dollars per metric ton.

Once the infrastructure bill in Congress is finally signed, the Earthshot project will be greatly promoted. The bill includes $3.5 billion for four direct air capture demonstration projects over the next five years. 

"It's huge," Granholm said on Friday. "This will really give us an idea of ​​where this technology is going."

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Grist aims to inspire more people to talk about climate change and believe that meaningful change is not only possible, but also happening. Provide us with the stable and reliable funds we need to help us further advance the reporting work. Consider becoming a monthly support member to ensure that this important work continues and flourishes. Join us today and your first year amount will match the U.S. dollar. 

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